Ivy Presidents Will Vote on Eligibility

There is a possibility that the Ivy League presidents will reconsider their December vote to allow freshman participation in varsity soccer when the league's policy committee meets this Tuesday, according to Harvard Athletic Director Robert Watson.

"They voted to allow freshmen to take part in the varsity program," Watson said yesterday of the committee's December 10 meeting, in which the presidents also voted to allow freshmen to play varsity baseball and lacrosse. Watson added that "at the time I don't think they considered all of the problems. There are three institutions that feel the matter should be brought up for reconsideration."

Watson identified Harvard as one of the schools that favors restricting freshmen from the varsity soccer program. It appears that Yale and Dartmouth will also ask for the proposal to be voted on again by the presidents.

Watson said the presidents did not foresee the difficulty of a coach deciding which freshmen will report for each practice in the tall and the added burden of a varsity sport on a freshman trying to get settled at college in his first term.

The policy committee will also be voting Tuesday on a proposal to allow freshmen to compete, in varsity basketball and hockey. The committee defeated the proposal 5-3 at its previous meeting, but with the provision that it there were enough interest the matter would be brought up again in the March meeting.

Passage of the proposal requires a 6-2 margin. The Daily Pennsylvanian first reported in February that Dartmouth, which voted against the proposal the first time would change its mind for the March vote ensuring passage.

Dartmouth President John Kemeny however, would not comment on that report. "I don't think it's right for presidents to announce their positions ahead of time," he said yesterday.

The committee will not reconsider a proposal to allow freshmen on the varsity football and crew teams, which was voted down in December by a large margin.